Structural rod joint



Nov. 10, 1953 B. c. WILCOX 2,658,776

STRUCTURAL ROD JOINT Filed March 14, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A lu -MI INVENTOR.

50,6? 6. IV/Z 0X Nov. 10, 1953 B. c. WILCOX STRUCTURAL ROD JOINT 2 Sheets-Shet 2 Filed March 14, 1950 hliupllt The clam Patented Nov. 10, 1953 Gr nted uml r fl t see. 2

"111$ invention described herein may QB- manurfatiired and {Used by or jfqr th npipeq ,Stgtes Government fdf govrri mei ltalpurpeses without payment .to me of any royalty thereon.

Thi einvention relates to a. structural assem- ,oft bular elements and a oint for ayssle ling 'them ihl am firm.gnenner, quiqkly ang stgbgtgehtially wjthou t hhe use of 136015; i1}- tenjgied perticulazj-l y fojr "easy demepntablhty a n d q b i c mbine w th pactne s tha i 'be d bp d q lh an i p an when escue operatior is re apte mpted.

tubular members ,and a "jjoinj; therefqr whieh qaln 5e assembled in many different co mbine tmns d W b ,thfi l r'nn m ong a d i An h r o ect is I p vide a st uctura r i work w ch lon ub ar elem or 'e a a ma o ru tma matu sxnsi r ban be med'e gf light-weight, ping, fpr mn fi f m e um re um umpin sfmd' eluster which ispne n art orj h ump. The in i intended #9 h ld 'wbll q lmem e e j the r lla d d and they ma exfj in ,jeit'her grge or twe planes away from the jomf. {The joint may be made to eccqmmediate either three pr four pubuler membex e. fi n' pla e ,ma fbe fo me wi hl qlt h61 '*ii r W b d ions "b 'w ch i me va w bulr mxn r we? gt i skf qi r in spaced angii'lar relation f 'Ihe efirin ers Rig. 1 1 1; ,eggglodedfperspective viewer" a joint f the eneplaiie'tygef "y Rig 1s aIpjerspe efiivg view 9f a one-plane, four:- t l m er jpi n t pfgm kind s ewnesgmaad iii Fig. 1 mana eem le 'mnfiiti U x W 4 eF i r- 1 e er-m npn in o 2 t h ws a ;th reej; 1 nger, oige ;.131e}1'1e el ssmbled join'ff Fi 4 h9-W'5 a elu t ls d d 9 eegtral knuqkle in perspective. It a'l sdsh "fifi ee ree e d o 9 1 tubuler t i e e ed '3 wa es one ye 'ro 31 a omp e ely ,wemb d ffiwqplane m n rr tai n iol tub la memb leasfi'ene qf their 611% with a pellet i l w 'ch'is abl WWW bu whic .m J93 a h d .v zew th r aq $9 y s We i n u 1. 115 fle z fih n i F g-". in $1 1 e -an o ic 9 mod 1.3 3 whic rqi'swi h 5 o he-Oth r m ub fia l sle 54-1 h et g s l l ul fit he 2 9% w an qes lidin fi a ha the construction makes for serve to hold the complete joint 20 together in operation with the channels i'i-lla and bends l8-|8a. The webs or gussets also are provided with bolt holes 2| through which extend holding means, preferably bolts 22, to which are operatively attached nuts 23, which are preferably wing nuts.

The plates and W1, when they are intended for two-plane joints, are made preferably, but not necessarily, in two pieces 24 and 240.. As will be noted from Fig. 7, there may be a space 25 beand plates must necessarily be of large size. Otherwise the twoeplane plates may be in one piece as shown in Fig. 5. one-plane or two-plane, is provided with a central opening 26 which is preferably but not necessarily tween the two half-portions just mentioned. This divided construction is preferred when the joints n structure, all that is necessary is to set the string- 1 5 ers in abutting relation to the cluster l2 and its Each plate, whether rectangular. The two-plane plates, when made in two pieces, have openings which, when the plates are placed in register, produce a combined opening similar to the one shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3

and 5. The purpose of the opening 26 is to provide a space for the accommodation of the knuckle It and the collars ll when these are in closely abutting relation. In that case the edges or" the 7 opening 26 serve 'to hold the joint 'together'by This.

means of the rearedge of'the collars ll.

great rigidity and strength, as well as heat appearance, since the bends IE; or lta are made of such as size as to have an outside diameter, when they are placed together, equal to that of the outsidediameter of the collars H.

The section shown in Fig.6 makes the con struction of the joint 26 clearly evident. The

a position of the rods i3 'is shown tolie within the bores of the stringers is and the edges of the rectangular opening 26' are shown to support snugly the stringers If) by their collars so that the outer ended the stringers it and'of their collars ,H are seen to be in close contact with a face 27 of" the knuckle Hi. The knuckle faces may be finished with a square configuration as shown at 2? in Fig. 4, or the faces may be rounded as shown at 21a in that figure. The

V rounded face'is preferred, since then there is.

less'of a'gap between the outer end of the collar H and the face-27a of the'knuckle Him One function, of the gusset portion I9, is to providea place for theattachment of means for attaching guy wires 23 to. the joint 2i). In Figs. 1, 5, 6, 7 and 8, the attaching means are clevises 29. These are provided with hollow shanks in the usual manner through which the guy wires at 28 may be attached in any conventional manner. The clevises 29 are drilled crosswise to pro-' vide. openings 30 through'which the bolts 22-are intended to extend when the clevises 2e are posii5a at their webbed portions 19. j

V tioned o'verthe'edges of the pair of plates [5 and the structure .in case they are needed or desired. If they are neither needed nor wanted, the joints tional. The structure shown in Fig. 8 may be used for supporting military instruments, for example,

searchlights, radar apparatus, machine guns or 10' for personnel.

if covered by a tarpaulin, could become a shelter From the foregoing, it will be evident to mechanically skilled persons that to assemble my knuckle Hi with the rods l3 inside the stringers then to clamp the plates l5 and P50. over the stringers and around the cluster attach the clevises 29, insert the bolts 22 through the holes' 39 and 2| and then tighten the wing nuts 23. One joint is of course assembled after another;

tral knuckle and the collars of said tubular members when the latter abut said knuckle whereby to hold the assembly in thatfixed angular relation Which'is determined by the rod, cluster and prevent. endwise displacement of said tubular,

members relative to said cluster of rods.

,2. A structural framework comprising a plurality of tubular members, a rod cluster having a I lar central opening andsmaller .aligned'o'peningsl 'for the acconimodationof boltsfin the.web'por-. tion of theplates between the channels, a rod 1 saidchannels', said rod cluster having a central) 29' may, of course, be assembled without any of.

the upwardly or downwardly'projecting stringers I9 shown cutoff short in Fig. 8. In thaticase, of

plurality of outwardly extending rods, each fit-- ting telescopically one tubular memberfsaid rod cluster having also a central knuckle from which.

the rods extend, a collar on the extremity of each tubular-'member, a pair of coinciding clampingplates, each plate having at leasttwo semicircular channels receiving a. tubularmember and having a central opening of generally rectangular shape receiving said knuckle. and one collar of each tubular member telescopically attached to said of frictional engagement a 3. In combination in a structural framework, a pair of substantially circular plates bent to substantiallya right angle across a diameter thereof and grooved with semicircular channels at subf stantially right angles to each other, said plates havmg a relatively largesubstantially rectangucluster, the rods of whichareenclosedbetween knuckle of substantially cubical shape positioned in said relatively large opening, tubular members held between the channels of said plates tele scopically engagingtherespective rods, a' collar on eachof said tubular members, said collar fill-- ing the space existing between one face of the knuckle and the internal edgeofrsaid plates, and V a'bolt' extending througheach of saidsmaller aligned" openings in said plates; V 4..The cfombinationset forth in claim} and in, addition a tubular clevis extending over the web portion of 'the 'plates by its fork, said l i having a transverse opening extending through the fork thereof, one of the respective bolts extending through both the clevis forks and through the plate web openings.

5. In combination in a structural framework, a plurality of tubular members having a collar on at least one end thereof, a plurality of pairs of angled plates each formed to snugly enclose and hold four end-collared tubular members substantially by their collared ends while leaving room for a joint at the junction, a rod cluster substantially enclosed within each of said pairs of plates, said tubular members fittin over the rods thereof, said rod cluster having a substantially cubical knuckle at the rod junction forming a joint, each of said collared ends abutting one face of said knuckle, clevises attached to the said plates at the gusset portions thereof and a tensioned guy wire attached to a clevis of a different joint at each end of said wire.

6. In combination in a structural framework, a pair of substantially matching semicircular plates, a pair of semicircular concave channels formed in each of said plates, one matching pair extending in line across the straight edge thereof and the other pair extending at a right angle thereto, said plates having a relatively large substantially rectangular opening where the channels would meet if prolonged, a rod cluster in said opening, the rods of which extend through said channels, a substantially cubical knuckle at the meeting point of the rods of said rod cluster and three tubular end-collared members enclosed byv their ends between said plates with the exception of the collared portions, the ends of the collared portions each abutting one face of the cubic-a1 knuckle and being snu ly retained against said knuckle faces by the edges of said rectangular plate openings.

7. A joint for a plurality of tubular members comprising collars on each tubular member at the joint end thereof, a knuckle member having a central head portion, cylindrical studs extending from the head portion and the head portion having an abutment face normal to each stud, each one of said tubular members each being positioned on a respective one of said studs with the tubing collar engaging the corresponding abutment face of the head portion of the knuckle member and a pair of clamping plates having complementary grooves engaging opposite sides of the respective tubular members, said clamp-. ing plates having gusset portions extendin between the respective grooves and said plates being formed with a central aperture having edges each engaging and holding stationary the rear face of a respective collar and fastening means for retaining said clamping plates in assembled relation.

8. In a structural framework, an even number of rod clusters including rods extending in at least two planes from a central knuckle of sub stantial size, a tubular member slidably fitting over each rod of each cluster, said tubular members extending for a substantial length and having on each one of its ends a collar of a width substantially identical with the width of the central knuckles of the rod clusters, both said rod clusters and collared ends of said tubular members having abutting flat faces, pairs of substantially coinciding clamping plates, each pair having formed therein a matching pair of semicylindrical cavities each accommodating a tubular member, said plates being folded upon a line joining two of the opposite cavities to substantially a right angle, each plate being provided with an opening occupying two planes, the two portions of said opening combined being equal substantially to a square opening to which the semicircular cavities lie normal, the opening being of such a size that an assembly of one knuckle and four collared ends will fit closely therein, the edges of said openings substantially engaging the edges of the collars furthest from said knuckle, and means for holding said plates in coinciding relation against heavy stresses.

BURR C. WILCOX.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain of 1888 Great Britain Sept. 13, 1934 Great Britain of 1942 France Sept. 16, 1936 Number Re. 10,292 Re. 16,996 311,165 349,397 509,458 569,687 685,876 760,621 1,075,281 1,667,256 1,817,775 2,018,539 2,460,622 2,466,148

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